Our Story:

In many of my childhood photos I am pictured in my family’s backyard with my face covered in mud.  My mom said that I loved to get dirty, that I enjoyed eating dirt.  It’s no wonder that I gravitated toward clay as my preferred artistic medium when I was attending college.  After graduating with a liberal arts degree, I thought I would make a living as a potter.  As chance would have it, I worked as a landscaper the summer after graduation.  There I was, back in the dirt, discovering a new medium and the art of landscape design.

I continued to work in the horticulture field and became a master gardener in 2002.  That year I launched Scenic Spaces.
Landscape design inspires me.  By combining stone, plants, wood, and brick, I create beautiful, unique retreats.  My designs employ sustainable ideas—I consider the aesthetics, function, maintenance, ecology and economics when creating customized landscapes for my customers.  Refer to the U of M’s website, www.sustland.umn.edu, for more information on sustainable landscaping.

I still enjoy potting, though gardening has become my passion.  I experiment in my own yard with plant combinations, theme gardens and various landscape materials.   With a woodland garden, a pond, edible gardens, herbs, perennials, fruit trees, potted gardens and multiple outdoor living rooms, my yard is full of scenic spaces.  I am fortunate that I get do what I love every day and to bring my enthusiasm to my customers. 
Of course, as excited and determined as I am, I can’t do it all alone.  I’ve managed to assemble an extremely talented crew. Not only are they kind, clean and considerate, customers often remark that they’ve never seen a crew work so hard. 

Meet a couple of the key players at Scenic Spaces:
Ryan Olson, my business partner and husband extraordinaire, is a third-generation landscaper.  Although his English degree from St. Olaf took his career in a different direction, he came to work for Scenic Spaces in 2006.  Ryan manages and works on the crew, maintains equipment and oversees quality at every site.  His impressive eye for detail makes him our primary trimmer —he’s the one who will perfectly shape your shrubs, hedges and trees.

Andy Schilling, a Red Wing native, graduated from South Dakota State in 2009 with a degree in landscape architecture.  He began working for Scenic Spaces in 2005 and has become like family.  Andy is a talented designer, skilled installer, experienced equipment operator and respected crew leader.  And as of June 2010, add ‘newlywed’ to his bio.  Congrats Andy and Amanda!

Please check out our Contact Us page and give me a call today. I am happy to show you more examples of my work, or even give you a tour of my private gardens.Transform your outdoor places into scenic spaces TODAY!
~Amy Olson / Founder